NI Safeguarding Board chair gave evidence to MPs at Westminster
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Children in Northern Ireland as young as nine are accessing “vile” pornography online with some imitating “violent sexual acts such as choking”, the UK government has been warned.
DUP MP Carla Lockhart pointed to recent evidence given by the Northern Ireland Safeguarding Board at Westminster as she called for “highly effective age assurance” measures to be put in place immediately.
The chair of the Safeguarding Board, Bernie McNally, recently told the Northern Ireland Affairs committee at Westminster of research her organisation has carried that shows children “as young as nine” have been viewing pornography online.
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Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart’s calls also follow research published by Ofcom showing that 8% of children aged eight to 14 in the UK had visited an online pornography site or app over a month-long period – including around 3% of eight and nine year olds.
Carla Lockhart speaking in the House of Commons(Image: House of Commons TV)
Under the Online Safety Act, digital platforms – including social media and gaming – must have highly effective age assurance in place by July 25, or face hefty fines that could amount to 10% of a company’s worldwide revenue.
In her evidence to the Northern Ireland Affairs committee earlier this month, Bernie McNally told MPs, during an evidence session on violence against women and girls, that a lot of the “really vile pornography” that was formerly found primarily on “the dark web” has recently become accessible on social media sites.
“This is really vile stuff that the children are getting access to,” she told the MPs. “We have done some research, and kids as young as nine have been viewing pornography.”
She continued: “Most violence against women is perpetrated by men: 90% of women who are murdered are murdered in their own homes by men. These kids are not born bad or evil. We have created these monsters. Some kids in school are asking their teacher, ‘How do you choke a woman?’ Girls who are sexually active between the ages of 16 and 18 are all reporting being choked during sex.”
DUP MP Carla Lockhart said: “The findings shared by the head of Northern Ireland’s Safeguarding Board are deeply disturbing. “That children, some as young as nine, are accessing pornographic material online and imitating violent sexual acts such as choking, raises the most serious questions about the effectiveness of current protections.
“No child should be learning about relationships or consent through the lens of online pornography, yet that is the reality facing far too many families today. The fact that young pupils are approaching teachers with questions about violent sexual behaviour, and that teenagers have experienced such acts themselves, is a damning indictment of the online environment we are allowing to persist.”
She continued: “I have written to the Minister for Digital and Culture urging the immediate implementation and enforcement of ‘highly effective age assurance’ measures, as outlined by Ofcom. These must be non-negotiable for all social media and high-risk platforms, with meaningful penalties for companies that fail to comply including the full use of fines and potential blocking powers.”
The Upper Bann MP added: “Online harms legislation must deliver more than good intentions. It must produce real, visible change that keeps our children safe. The safeguarding of young people must be paramount, and the government must act with the urgency and resolve this situation demands.”
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